food and feeding habits of indian bison, bos gaurus (smith ... · international research journal of...

International Research Journal of Biological Sciences ___________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202

Vol. 4(5), 73-79, May (2015) Int. Res. J. Biological Sci.

International Science Congress Association 73

Food and Feeding habits of Indian Bison, Bos Gaurus (Smith, 1827) in

Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Balasore, Odisha, India and its Conservation

Basanta Kumar Nayak* and Ajay Kumar Patra PG department of Zoology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar-751004, Odisha, INDIA

Available online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 27th March 2015, revised 25th April 2015, accepted 8th May 2015

Abstract

The Indian Bison (IB), Bos gaurus is one of the large wild ungulates of Asian jungles. It is a dominant herbivore and

considered as a parental stock for domestic cattle. In India, Indian Bison (IB) is seen in central, southwestern and

northeastern regions. We studied it's activity pattern, food plants species and feeding habits of IB during 2008-2012 using

Focal Animal Sampling Method and Fecal analysis. Activity pattern of IB shows a bimodal diurnal activity pattern in

feeding with peaks in the morning and evening hours The Indian Bison in Kuldhia wildlife sanctuary (KWS) was observed

to feed on diverse species of food plants comprising of 47 species of plants belonging to 17 families. The food plants of IB

were represented by 18 species of grasses, 6 species of herbs, 8 species of shrubs and 15 species of trees. The food plants

from the families of Poaceae and Fabaceae constitute nearly 50% forming the major food plant species of IB in KWS. The

Indian Bison in KWS was a generalist feeder resorting to both grazing and browsing. The IB in KWS fed on leaves, young

shoots, flowers and fruits showing high preference for leaves. The diet composition varied according to season and food

availability. Reduction of anthropogenic pressure, protection of food plants species and restoration of suitable habitats

are significant measures suggested for conservation of Indian Bison in KWS.

Keywords: Indian Bison, Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary, time activity budget, feeding.

Introduction

The Indian Bison (IB) or Gaur, Bos gaurus is one of the large

wild ungulates of Asian jungles1. It is a dominant herbivore and

considered as the largest bovid confined to the oriental

biogeographic region of the world. Globally, Gaur is distributed

in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Peninsular

Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. In India, IB is

found in central, southwestern and northeastern regions2. India

is having the highest IB population than any other countries in

the world accounting for approximately 85% of its current

global population. The Indian Bison in India occur in 124

protected areas (PAs) which cover only 26% of actual global

distribution area of IB. In recent years, the population trend of

IB is declining in many PAs and there are records of local

extinction in protected areas like Bandhabagarh National Park,

M.P and Kangar Ghati Wildlife sanctuary, C.G3. One of the first

steps towards conservation of IB is to identify the food and

feeding habits. Knowledge and comprehension on diet

composition of the species is essential to take management

decisions for viable population maintenance in the wild.

Much information based on studies on food and feeding of wild

ungulates including Indian Bison are available in different

habitats by the number of researchers. Information on its current

distribution status in India has been gained through a

questionnaire survey and literature reports4. Rodger

5 described

on the wild grazing ungulates of India. Habitat analysis of

Indian Bison in Bhagvan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary using

remote sensing and GIS was carried out by Kittur6. The food

habits of wild ungulates and their competition with livestock

were vividly studied in Pench Wildlife Reserve7. Krishnan

8

conducted an ecological survey based on the habitat, activity

patterns and food habits of the large mammals including Indian

Bison in peninsular India. Vairavel9 studied ecology of Bos

gaurus with special reference to habitat utilization in

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerla10

carried out Micro

Histological studies on the food of Sambar, Gaur and cattle in

Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala11

reported debarking of Teak

(Tectona grandis) by IB during summer in Pench Tiger Reserve,

Bhagvan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National

Park.

No qualitative information on the aspects of food and feeding

habits of IB is available in Kuldhia Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS),

Odisha which comes under the central distributional range of IB

in India. The current study was undertaken with an objective to

document activity pattern, food plants and feeding habit of IB in

KWS.

Study area: The study area comprises of the three Hill ranges

of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary namely Kuldiha, Tenda, and

Devgiri in the district of Balasore, Odisha. KWS came into

existence in 1984 by Govt. of Odisha and was recognized in

1992 as an Elephant Reserve through “Project Elephant” by

Govt. India. The sanctuary lies within 210 -45

0 to 21

0 – 30

0 N

latitude and 800-30

0 to 80

0-45

0 E longitude encompassing an

International Research Journal of Biological Sciences _______________________________________________ ISSN 2278-3202



area of 272.75 sq k.m. The landscape is hilly with moderate to

steep slopes having range of altitude between 169 mts to 682

mts. KWS is a tropical moist mixed deciduous forest12

.

Biogeographically, KWS represents four Biotic Provinces i.e.

Eastern plateau, Chhotnagpur, lower- Gangetic and coastline13

.

The temperature lies between 420C during summer and goes

below up to 80C in winter. The maximum and minimum

Relative Humidity is 88% and 62% respectively. The annual

average precipitation in KWS is around 1460 mm. Three small

rivers, Tangna, Kamala and Usatalnala are the main water

sources of the sanctuary.

Figure-1.A

Map of India showing Odisha

Figure-1.B

Index map of wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks of

Orissa

Figure-1.C

GIS map of KWS

Figure-1.D

Map of KWS

Material and Methods

The study on the activities of food and feeding of IB was

conducted through opportunistic sightings in course of different

field trips during 2008-2012. Two types of methods were used

for studying food and feeding habits. Direct method: Direct

Observation and Indirect Method: Fecal Analysis.

Direct Observation: Data on activity pattern, food plant

species and feeding habits of IB were recorded by direct

sightings with the help of a pair of Bushnell 10x50 binocular

and Cannon 500D Digital SLR with 75-300 mm Lens using

Focal Animal Sampling Method14

. Focal animals were observed

from dawn to dusk i.e from 0600-1800 hrs. After direct

observation of feeding of animals, on-site inspections of food

plant species were identified as per Saxena and Brahmam

(1994-1996)15

Feeding signs and samples of leaf, shoot, flower

and fruits observed and collected were compared with

subsequent microscopic analysis of dung.

Fecal Analysis: This study was based on the microscopic recognition of indigestible plant fragments mainly the epidermal features that are characteristic of different plant groups. Fecal Analysis was done by the procedures outlined by Satakopan,




197216

. The whole process required collection, preservation, preparation of fecal samples and reference slides. Reference slides of fresh plant species upon which Indian Bison observed feeding were prepared by taking sections of the upper and lower epidermis of leaves, providing a key for all possible food plants of the study area. Fresh IB dung samples were collected by following fresh tracks of animal in different seasons. The individual samples were collected separately, air dried for a minimum of 72 hours, ground thoroughly by hand and washed in Chloral hydrate solution to make seasonal sample. The samples were later analyzed in Environmental Research Laboratory of Department of Zoology, Utkal-University. The leaf components in these samples were compared with key prepared for identification from fresh plant species based on characters like shape, arrangement of epidermal tissue i.e cell wall structure, shape and size of cells, hairs and trichomes, shape and size of stomata and inter stomatal cells, fibre structure and arrangement of veins. Then the results were compared with field observations.

Results and Discussion

Time Activity Budget: Daily activity pattern of IB shows a bimodal diurnal activity pattern in feeding with peaks in the morning and evening hours. Feeding activity was low during noon hours when there was gradual increase in resting and reached a peak at noon and then gradually decreased (figure-2.A). The animals were observed to recline in the cover during hottest period of the day and rumination mostly occurred during this resting period. Moving was more or less uniform throughout the day and it was more during morning and evening along with feeding than noon hours. But during dry season moving was observed to be more in noon hours as the IB moved from one place to another as shade moved. Social behavior includes suckling, fighting and playing. Vigilance was observed more while feeding during morning and evening hours. A vigilant gaur stands in a typical posture with its head raised, ears erected and directing its head towards source of danger.In KWS, IB was diurnal. But it has been reported that in areas of high human disturbance IB is observed to become nocturnal

17.

Figure-2.A

Activity Pattern of IB in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary

Figure-2.B

Composition of Food plant species of IB in KWS

Figure-2.C

Comparative account of Food plant species of IB in KWS in

different seasons

Figure-2.D

Fruits of Dillenia pentagyna, fruit eaten by IB in KWS




Figure 3.A

Indian Bison - Feeding

Figure-3.B

Indian Bison – Standing posture

Figure-3.C

Mother IB with her calf

Figure-3.D

Indian Bison in a Vigilant Stance

Food and Feeding of Indian Bison: The Indian Bison in

Kuldhia wildlife sanctuary was observed to feed on diverse

species of food plants comprising of 47 species of plants

belonging to 17 families (table-1). The food plants of IB were

represented by 18 species of grasses, 6 species of herbs, 8

species of shrubs and 15 species of trees. The food plants from

the families of Poaceae and Fabaceae constituted nearly 50%

forming the major food plant species of IB in KWS. Among

physiognomic types grass constituted a greater proportion of

38% while shrub and tree species (Browse) constituted 49%.

The contribution of different food plant categories is represented

in figure-2B. Vairavel reported that IB was observed to feed on

151 species of plants belonging to 37 families in evergreen

forest with Poaceae and Cyperaceae as the major constituents. A

sum total of 32 species of plants belonging to17 families were

identified as food plants plants of IB in two protected areas of

Goa18

. IB were observed to feed on 155 species of plants

belonging to 38 families in tropical dry deciduous forest of

Mudumalai. Arrendran has recorded that the diet composition

consists of 78 species of plants belonging to 28 families and the

major part of the diet consists of Leguminaceae (18 per cent)

and Poaceae (15 per cent) in Teak dominant forests in Pench.

Studies carried out by M. Chetri19

in Nepal shows that IB is

observed to feed on 49 species of plants in Sal forest. Their diet

chiefly includes shoots and foliage of trees, shrubs, herbs and

grass and also feeds on fruits like of Diospyros melanoxylon and

Aegale marmalos, tender seeds of bamboo and barks of trees

like Adina cordifolia and Tectona grandis. The IB in KWS was

a generalist feeder and was found resorted to both grazing and

browsing. The contribution of different food plant species to the

diet of IB season wise is represented in figure-2.C In KWS

Browsing is high in summer while grazing dominates in

monsoon. IB has been basically described as a grazer20

. Ashok

kumar has reported that grasses are major component of IB diet

in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Their diet chiefly includes shoots

and foliage of trees, shrubs, herbs and grass. The IB in KWS

consumed different parts like leaves, young shoots, flowers and

fruits with leaves as most favorite food item. These

observations are in agreement with the reports of Shukla and

Khare who reported that Indian Bison grazed and browsed on a

much wider variety of plants than any other ungulate species of

India, showing preference for the upper portions of plants, such

as leaf blades, stems, seeds and flowers of grass species. In

contrast, some earlier study by Sathyanarayana and Murthy21

shows that Indian Bison feeds selectively on grass-dominated

areas and are primarily grass eaters. The IB in KWS were

observed feeding on fruits of Dillenia Pentagyna and Diospyros

melanoxylon in KWS. The IB were found to feed on the bark of

tree species like Adina cordifolia, Anacardium occidentale and

Tectona grandis. However it is in contrast with the aforesaid

findings that though teak plants are available in plenty in KWS,

still IB are not observed to feed on these. IB in KWS was very

often found in feeding state. The highest feeding activity was

observed in the early morning (0600 to 0800 hr) and in the

evening (1600 to 1800 hr) (figure-2.A). During the hot hours of

the day i.e 1300 to 1500 hr the animals were found resting




beneath the trees. Being an obligatory drinker IB in KWS

needed water every day and visited water bodies at least once a

day. Drinking time varied from mooring 0600 to 1930 hours.

Fecal analysis clearly indicates that the IB is the generalist

feeder, showing great flexibility of food habits and consumed a

variety of food belonging to different species. Because of their

large size and energy demand they swallow large quantity of

food in comparatively short feeding hours. So selection of foods

species is not as strong as compared to other ungulates. The diet

composition varied according to season and food availability.

Conservation: The Red list of IUCN of threatened species

categorizes gaur or IB as a vulnerable species and today it is

found in 11 countries. The estimated population is around

13,000 to 30,000 with approximately 85 per cent of population

being present in India. Thus India is having the broader

prospects for long-term conservation of this species. The

populations in other countries are declining alarmingly. IB is

listed in CITES table-1, which bans all international trade of

gaur products. IB is protected under Schedule I of Wildlife

(Protection) Act 1972 of India.

One of the major limitations is lack of accurate information

regarding the population dynamics and habitat requirements of

gaur in most protected areas like KWS. The current population

estimates provides only a snap shot in the overall dynamic

system. Furthermore, the estimates varied due to differences in

methods of data collection, predator density of the respective

area, spatio-temporal variations of IB and influence of other

mega herbivore in the ecosystem. Thus long term monitoring of

population is required other than density estimates to understand

the dynamics of the system.

Habitat loss has been largely responsible for the large scale

decline of IB range and it remains a major threat to IB

conservation in KWS. The habitat degradation and

fragmentation affect IB population in KWS. The anthropogenic

factors include selective felling of matured trees for timber,

forest fires in summer and illicit felling of trees by local people

for honey, wax and resin. Although no systematic record of

poaching of IB is available in KWS, there are incidences of

poaching in Kerala-Tamil Nadu and Kerala-Karnataka

boundary. Epidemic diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease

(FMD) and rinderpest cause widespread death of IB and these

diseases have been reported in Southern and Central India22

.

The disease usually spread from domestic cattle that graze

inside the forest.

Conclusion

Most IB range countries are developing countries with limited

financial resources to commit to conservation. So funds remain

major constraints in IB conservation. Inadequate forest staff in

KWS for monitoring population and IB habitat is another

concern area. Along with respective Government, the Non

Governmental organizations, International organizations and

agencies should support research and conservation oriented

activities. Besides, IB is one of the important prey species for

flagship species (Tiger) and thus considerable population

monitoring research along with, community level research,

carnivore population monitoring activities are urgent need areas.

Long term survival of conservation of herbivores depends on

the availability of suitable habitats, hence reduction of

anthropogenic pressure, protection of food plant species and

restoration of suitable habitats are significant factors in

conservation biology of KWS.

Acknowledgement

The author is grateful to the Principal Chief Conservator of

Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Government of Odisha for

giving permission to conduct this research. Author also owes

thanks to the Divisional Forest Officer (WL), Balasore and the

staff of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary for providing necessary

support during the field work.

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Table-1

List of food plant species consumed by Indian Bison in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Balasore, Odisha

Family Species Local Name Plant parts

eaten

Seasonal Distributation

Summer Monsoon Winter

Grass

Poaceae Apluda mutica Mugar S + - -

Poaceae Aristida setacea Khadikaghasa S + - -

Poaceae Bambusa arundinacea Baunsa L, S + + +

Poaceae Chloris dolichastachya Banoghasa S + + +

Poaceae Chrysopogon aciculatus Guguchia S - + -

Poaceae Cynodon dactylon Duba S + + +

Poaceae Cyperus rotondus Muthaghasa S - + -

Poaceae Dendrocalamus strictus Baunsa L, S + + +

Poaceae Fimbristylis miliaceae Suanli S - + -

Poaceae Heteropogon contortus Dauria S - + +

Poaceae Imperata cylindrica Chhana S + + +

Poaceae Oplimenus compositus Mohora S - + +

Poaceae Panicum maximum Ginighasa S - + -

Poaceae Paspalidian flabidion Bileilanji S - + -

Poaceae Paspalum scrobiculatum kodoghasa S - - +

Poaceae Saccharum spontaneum Kasatandighasa S + + +

Poaceae Thysanolaena maxima Phulajhadughasa S - + +

Poaceae Vetivera zizanioides Benasghasa S - + -

Herbs

Fabaceae Cassia tora Chakunda L + + -

Boraginaceae Cordia obliqua Bhuanla L - - +

Fabaceae Desmodium heterocarpus Dangarbuta L - + +

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia hirta Chitakutei L + - -

Lamiaceae Leucas aspera Gayas L - + -

Malvaceae Urena lobata Bilakapasia L - + +

Shrubs

Fabaceae Bauhinea vahlii Sialilata L + + +

Rubiaceae Gardenia latifolia Dambaru L + + +

Verbinaceae Lantana camara Jaikoli L + + -

Fabaceae Mimosa pudica Lajokuli L - + -

Arecaceae Phoenix acaulis Banokhajure L + - -

Rubiaceae Randia dumetorum Mohana L + - -

Acanthaceae Strobilanthes auriculatus Pania L + + +

Verbinaceae Vitex negundo Begunia L + + +

Trees

Rutaceae Aegle marmelos Bela L + - -

Fabaceae Bauhinia purpurea Amber L + - -

Euphorbiaceae Bridelia retusa Panikasi L + - -

Fabaceae Butea superba Latapalasa L - - +

Fabaceae Cassia fistula Sunrnari L + + -

Dilleniaceae Dillenia pentagyna Rai Fr + - +

Ebenaceae Diospyros melanaxylon Kendu Fr + + -

Tiliaceae Grewia tilifolia Asana L + - -

Rubiaceae Mitragyna parviflora Kelikadamba Fl + - -

Euphorbiaceae Phyllanthus emblica Anla L + - +

Dipterocarpaceae Shorea robusta Sala L - + +

Myrtaceae Syzygium cumini Jamukoli L + + +

Combretaceae Terminalia arjuna Arjuna L + - -

Combretaceae Terminalia chebula Horida L - - +

Rhamanaceae Zizyphus mauritiana Barokoli L + + +

Abbreviations: L-Leaf, Fl- Flower, Fr- Fruit, S- Shoot




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